ESA founder Doug Lowenstein receives AIAS Lifetime Achievement Award

The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences has chosen the third recipient for its prestigious and reportedly quite heavy Lifetime Achievement Award in Doug Lowenstein, founder of the Electronic Software Association (ESA). Lowenstein served as the organization's president for 13 years until 2007, after which he became CEO of the Private Equity Council (PEC).

The AIAS has deemed Lowenstein a video game industry champion, noting his achievements in combating various forms of piracy, unfriendly legislature and anti-game sentiment. According to AIAS Board chair Jay Cohen, "It was under Doug's leadership that the industry fought off dangerous efforts to impose restrictions on video game content, in the process establishing unequivocally that video games are entitled to the same First Amendment rights as any other entertainment content." He added, "For those of us in the AIAS, it is no exaggeration to say that the artistic freedom we now enjoy stems directly from Doug's efforts."

Previous recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award include Nintendo of America founders Howard Lincoln and Minoru Arakawa, as well as PlayStation creator Ken Kutaragi. But do any of them know Jack as well as Lowenstein does?